Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm -- Wizards?
by dietcocacola101
Summary: When Albus Potter receives a certain book about charming witches from his older brother, he is sure that he will have no use for it because he secretly fancies wizards. But then he realizes that boys and girls aren't so very different, and this book might be the only chance he has to winning his best friend's heart. AS/S slash. One-shot.


**Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm…Wizards?**

Albus Potter turned the worn book over and over again in his hands. The old book had been passed from his Uncle George to his Uncle Ron to his dad to his brother and now, to him. _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches._ Albus hadn't had the nerve to tell his brother that he would have no use for the book when James gave it to him earlier that week. _Twelve Foolproof Ways to Get Your Best Friend to Fall in Love With You_ or _Twelve Fail-Safe Plans to Tell Your Family That You're Gay_ would be much more helpful.

James had told him that he would disgrace the family if he showed up to the Yule Ball alone so he had given him the book to help him. Al found it a bit insulting that James had so little faith in him. He was confident that if he _did_ like girls, he would be able to get one of them to go to the ball with him without the help of a stupid book.

Albus Potter had a dilemma and he doubted that some silly self-help book was going to help him. Not only was Albus secretly gay, he was also secretly crushing on his best friend, Scorpius. Albus was on the verge of throwing the book in the trash can when he had a stroke of brilliance. Uncle Ron, James, and his dad had all claimed that the book had worked for them. Albus could use the book on Scorpius, and it could work for him too. Boys and girls weren't so different.

Scorpius was the only person that Al told his biggest secret. Like he expected, Scorpius had taken the news well and it didn't affect their friendship in the slightest. After he told Scorp he was gay, Al asked his best friend what _his_ sexual orientation was. He wasn't a coward – he had been prepared to tell Scorpius about his feelings for him even if he told him he was straight. But Scorpius threw a monkey wrench into Albus's plans by sighing, gesturing to his crotch, and saying, "To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what this thing wants. I'm just…confused." They had had that conversation a year ago, at the beginning of their fifth year. Now it was their sixth year and Scorpius was still confused, Albus was still in love with him, and the Yule Ball was approaching. This book might be his only hope.

Al searched the grounds for his best friend and quickly located him returning from the Quidditch field, his blonde hair windswept and his pale cheeks a rosy color from the wind. Al's heart skipped a beat as he took in how breathtaking Scorpius was. His best friend was alone and, if he acted fast, he would have just enough time to intercept him before he reached the front doors. Albus quickly opened _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_ to the first page. He wouldn't have time to read the entire chapter but he could at least get the first fail-safe rule from the title.

_1. Talk to her._

He had to say, he was a bit disappointed. Okay, a lot disappointed. His male relatives had made this book sound like pure gold and the best advice it had to offer was to _talk_ to Scorpius? He talked to Scorpius every day. If that did the trick, Al would have had his best friend's cock a long time ago. Nevertheless, it was the best plan he had and time was running short as Scorpius drew nearer to the front doors. Albus pocketed the book and ran after him.

"Scorp! Hey, _Scorp!_"

The Malfoy looked around, surprised and a little annoyed, but his sour expression turned to a grin when he saw who it was. "Hey, Al. What are you doing outside? It's freezing out here." He gestured to the snowflakes that had begun to fall.

"I could ask you the same thing."

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Scorp asked, tapping his broomstick. "I'm practicing. Just because this stupid Triwizard Tournament cancelled Quidditch all year doesn't mean I can't improve my game."

"Why is the Triwizard Tournament stupid?" asked Al.

Scorpius shot him a look. "You know perfectly well why I think it's stupid." Of course Albus knew this – Scorpius hadn't shut up about it all year – but he wanted to keep the conversation. Scorpius plunged on, "I've done my research. I know how many injuries this game has caused, how many people have _died_ because of it. I expect your dad should know all about that – "

"Voldemort killed Cedric Diggory, Scorp, not the tournament."

"Yeah, and Diggory never would have been at that graveyard if he hadn't been a part of the tournament." Al sighed, knowing that there was no arguing with him. "I just don't fancy watching kids put their lives at risk for _sport._"

By this time, they had reached the front doors and having walked through them, were now strolling the corridors on their way to the Slytherin common room. They passed the Great Hall on their way there, and the smell of food seemed to have greatly improved Scorpius's mood and Al thought this was a good opportunity to bring up the ball.

"Are you going home for Christmas this year, or staying for the ball?"

"Staying, I expect. My dad sent me dress robes and my mum sent me a strongly worded letter saying that if I don't take pictures of me and my date and send them to her, she'll slit my throat."

This was a joke, so Albus faked a laugh. It would have been funny, too, if he hadn't been so focused on Scorpius mentioning his date. "You have a date?"

"Not yet. A few girls have asked me but I want to wait for the right person."

Albus didn't know whether to scoff or sigh at this, but didn't have time to decide for they had reached the common room ("Unicorn hair," said Scorpius) and entered. Scorpius quickly departed to go put away his broomstick and change into a new pair of clothes, and told Al to meet him at dinner. Al's good mood deflated as he watched the blonde boy disappear around the corner. Scorpius had said he was waiting for the right _person,_ not girl. But he had mentioned that girls had asked him, so maybe 'girl' was implied. Sighing, he dug the book out of his pocket on the way to dinner and flipped to the second chapter. Maybe reading a part of it would keep his mind off Scorpius's mixed signals.

_2. Be her friend._

_Believe it or not, girls don't always want to be chased around by guys they barely know. They much prefer guys that they know well and trust. Take the time to be friends with this witch and get to know her. It's much better to know what you're signing up for before you charge in and ask her out. Being friends also helps her get to know the real you so you don't have to make up lies about your life or do stupid stunts to get her attention (common mistakes that guys make) and that way, she can decide if you're boyfriend material…with little nudges in the right direction from you, of course. But be careful not to get caught in the 'friendzone' because – _

"Hey, baby brother. Enjoying the book so far?" James interrupted with a triumphant grin. Albus hadn't even noticed that his legs had carried him all the way down to the Great Hall. He must have been too into the book to realize this.

"Yeah," he lied. Instead of making him feel better, the stupid book had worsened his mood because if anyone was in this dreaded 'friendzone', it was him.

"Yeah, it's a pretty good read. And that's coming from _me,_" James teased, elbowing him in the ribs. "Has it helped you find a date for the ball yet?"

"I'm working on it," he replied, which was true enough. "Who are you going with?"

"Caitlyn Goslick. Asked her last night. But that's not important." Al was surprised. James had been known to brag ever since he was born, and now that he had one of the hottest girls in school accompanying him to the ball, suddenly it wasn't important? "Fred and I are spying on Roxanne and Lily to make sure no scumbags ask them to the ball. Want to help?"

"Er, no thanks. You two probably have it covered."

"Yeah, that's true enough – hey, is that Lily with Evan Hochwater? OI! Where are you going with my little sister!?" cried James, and then he scampered off.

Chuckling and shaking his head, Al went to go sit down at the Slytherin table and propped open the book as he ate. While chapter two made sense, Al was already Scorpius's friend (his _best_ friend) so it wasn't very helpful. He decided to skip it and go to chapter three:

_3. Work on your appearance._

Al immediately picked up a spoon and examined his appearance in the reflection. His black hair was so covered in snowflakes that it made him look like he had a bad case of dandruff and he brushed them off his head with impatience. He had rosy cheeks from the cold but it didn't look nearly as cute on him as it did on Scorpius. He put the spoon down and examined the other boys at the table, and realized he was short. He wished he was taller. And more muscular. And –

"Hey, what are you reading?"

Albus yelped with shock and slammed the book shut so fast that he knocked over a jug of lemonade. Scorpius had come out of nowhere and scared the shit out of him. Luckily, Scorp was too busy roaring with laughter to notice that Al slipped the book back into his pocket.

"Merlin, what was _that_ about? Paranoid much?" asked Scorpius, still trying to fight off the giggles.

"No, you just scared me! Don't creep up on people like that! Next time you should announce yourself or _something!_"

Scorpius just continued laughing at him and started helping himself to the piles of food. Al had been starving a few minutes ago but Scorpius's presence had made him lose his appetite. How in the world was he going to find out if Scorpius thought if he was attractive?

"Hey, Al, do you think I'm good looking?" Scorpius asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"What?"

"Do you think I'm, ya know, attractive? From a gay guy's perspective."

"I – why? I mean, yeah, you're dashing but why do you ask?" Al wondered, looking at him curiously.

Scorpius flashed him one of his cheeky grins. "I'm _dashing?_ Where do you come up with this stuff, Al?"

Albus shrugged. "I dunno. I just think 'dashing' is a nicer compliment than 'sexy'," he said and then asked, "What about me? Do you think I'm – er – handsome?"

"Of course," Scorpius responded almost immediately. "You have very good features. Like your lips and your hands."

Albus was taken aback. He was not expecting such a positive response. Scorpius chuckled when he saw Al pick up another spoon to examine his lips. Scorp went on to explain that his hands were rough and manly and his lips were soft and small. The masculine and the feminine parts of his body balanced each other out and created a perfect mix.

"I didn't know you spent that much time noticing my body parts," Al teased, fascinated. Scorpius did not respond.

When dinner was over, the two best friends headed to the Slytherin common room together. Scorpius yawned on the way to his bed and flopped down upon it with a sigh. "I'm so glad this day is over."

"Why?" asked Al through the curtains in his bed. He had already changed into his pajamas and was hiding in his four poster bed, the lit tip of his wand pointed to chapter four in the book:

_4. Make her laugh._

"It's just been a hassle. This whole _year_ has been a hassle. I'll be glad when this bloody tournament is over."

"The ball should be fun, though."

Scorpius's tone softened: "It depends on who you go with."

This, Al thought as he lay down in bed, was surprisingly true. He tucked away his wand and the book into his bag sitting next to his bag, and thought about chapter four's instruction. _Make her laugh._ He and Scorpius had shared many laughs together over the years but now that he was _trying _to make him laugh, he couldn't think of a single humorous thing to say. Suddenly, he envied James, who had always been the funny one.

"Scorp?"

"Hmm?" the blonde boy murmured, drowsily.

"Want to hear a knock-knock joke?"

* * *

The next day was the day that students go home to visit their families for the holidays. This year, however, hardly anyone above third year left. Al had to admit that it was going to be weird not being with his parents on Christmas and missed them terribly. But then he thought that getting Scorpius to agree to go to the ball with him would be well worth it and the thought comforted him.

James had always been the funny and outgoing one in the family, while Albus was the quiet and thoughtful one, so it wasn't a surprise when Al's knock-knock joke last night didn't go so well. In fact, Scorpius laughed more at the fact that Albus was so bad at telling jokes than the joke itself. But at least he succeeded in making him laugh, even if it _was_ at his expense.

Al and James received dress robes in the mail that day and Lily squealed with delight when she opened up a large box revealing a beautiful dress. Apparently James had found Lily a date that he approved of, and had moved on to lecturing Al about his date. Or actually, lectured about the fact that he didn't have a date yet.

"Come on, Al, I gave you that book to _help_ you. What the bloody hell are you doing with it if you're not using it on tips to ask girls to the ball?"

"I told you I was working on it. Leave me alone."

"Working on it with who? Personally, I think you should ask one of the Beauxbatons ladies," James said and let out a low whistle when one walked by.

Al refrained from saying, "Yeah, like I'd have a chance with any of them." and said instead, "You'll just have to wait and see."

Scorpius was in the library that morning. Apparently not even Christmas, the Yule Ball, or the Triwizard Tournament could distract the Malfoy from his studies. He was as determined as ever to get perfect grades. This was fine with Albus because he needed time to come up with a plan for the fifth chapter:

_5. Impress her._

How the blood hell was he supposed to 'impress' Scorpius? Scorpius was much smarter than him, so using his brain wasn't an option. Albus was a better Quidditch player but using his skills on the field would make Scorpius think he was showing off. Al was also more popular (he had to give partial credit to his father) but Scorp didn't give two shits about popularity. So what was he going to do? And hadn't it said in chapter two _not_ to do 'stupid stunts to get her attention'? The damn book was contradicting itself.

Al spent all Sunday morning wandering around the castle, thinking about what the hell he was supposed to do. He racked his brain, trying to think of things that he would like Scorpius to do for him to try to get ideas but he had nothing. He was starting to panic when he passed Hugo in the hallway and stopped his cousin.

"Hey, Hugo, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, smart one," the redhead replied and then grinned. "Just kidding. What is it?"

"If I – er – someone, a girl-type someone, was going to ask you to the ball…how would you want them – _her_ – to do it?" Albus asked, rather awkwardly. But Hugo, whose whole face lit up, was paying no attention.

"Someone's going to ask me to the ball?"

"Er – not _exactly _– "

Once again, Hugo was paying him no attention. "Wicked! Who is it?"

Panicking, Albus quickly tried to think of the name of that girl that Hugo fancied. He was pretty sure it was something with an L. Or was it an E? "Um…she wants to remain anonymous. But she wants to know how you would want to be asked. You know, for reference."

"Oh, I don't know. If I was ever going to ask a girl to the ball, I would get her flowers or something. So maybe she could get _me_ flowers for a change. Guys like presents, too."

It was brilliant, yet so simple. _Flowers._ How could he not have thought of it? But now Al Potter was faced with two problems: 1. How was he going to present Scorpius with flowers and not make it awkward? 2. How was he going to make sure that Hugo got a date for the ball?

As he always did when faced with a problem, Al headed to the problem. Not for the books, but because the two smartest and problem-solving experts practically lived there. He went there to find Scorpius Malfoy and Rose Weasley.

He went to Rose first because she was Hugo's sister and she would know. "Rose," he whispered (because outdoor voices were not permitted in the library) and she looked up from her book. "Rose, I need your help."

"What do you want?" she whispered back.

"What's the name of that girl Hugo likes?"

"What?" she asked shocked.

"The girl that Hugo likes. What's her name? Don't ask why I need to know, just tell me."

"Leann Miller. But why - ?" she started to ask but he had already whispered a thanks and was making his way over to Scorpius's table, where he also sat alone.

"Scorpius, I need your help," Al whispered as he sat down across from the blonde.

"With what?" he whispered back.

"I accidentally told Hugo that a girl is going to ask him to the ball and I need your help in finding this girl he likes and convincing her to ask him."

Scorpius was looking at him like he had three heads. "Why? Hugo's a good-looking kid. He's bound to get asked by _someone._"

"Well…I might have told him that this girl is going to get him flowers."

"You might have or you did?"

"I did."

Scorpius face palmed.

"Please help me," Albus begged. "If he doesn't get asked, he'll know I was lying and he'll be crushed."

"Why do you need _me?_" Scorpius questioned, lowering his voice to a whisper when the librarian gave him a stern look.

"Because you're the only person who can help me. You're all smart and stuff and I'm not. Please? I can't do it without you."

Scorpius sighed. "Fine. Just let me put these books away," he said and then looked at Al curiously before leaving. "You know – even though he could probably manage himself – it's actually nice of you to try to get Hugo a date. I'm impressed, Al." Then he disappeared into the stacks with an armful of books.

Albus could have cheered. Flowers be damned, Scorpius was impressed with his (accidental) selflessness and that was good enough for him. He skimmed through the book before Scorpius came back and found that he had already accomplished chapter six (_6. Make her feel important._) and moved on to chapter seven:

_7. Spend time with her._

Merlin, this was the easiest step yet! He and Scorp were about to spend the whole day together, so this step was a piece of cake. However, he had to shove the book in his bag before he could look up the next chapter because Scorpius's shadow was looming larger and larger.

"Ready to go?" Al asked when Scorpius emerged from the stacks and the blonde nodded. They exited the library discussing plans on how they were going to get flowers on such short notice. Albus suggested Hagrid (he was always growing weird stuff in that garden of his – perhaps he would be growing something normal for once) and Scorpius suggested Professor Longbottom. Not only was this a better idea (the chances that Hagrid would do anything normal were slim to none) but Al also wanted to make Scorpius feel even more important by agreeing with all of his ideas. Not that this was any change…Al usually agreed with all of Scorpius's ideas, anyway.

The two set off to the greenhouse. Besides his office, this was the place Professor Longbottom was most likely to be. Fortunately, they seemed to have luck on their side because their Herbology professor was just leaving the greenhouse when they arrived.

"Professor! Wait! We need to ask you a favor!" Al cried out to him and Neville turned around.

"How can I help you boys?" he asked, looking intrigued.

"We need flowers," Scorpius said. Al admired the way he said it: direct and to the point. He didn't look like he was going to be answering any questions. Luckily, Professor Longbottom seemed to put two and two together.

"Are you boys looking for someone to ask to the ball?"

"Something like that, yeah," Albus said. As a matter of fact, he _was_ looking for someone to ask to the ball…that's just not what the flowers were for.

Professor Longbottom grinned and said, "Follow me." He led them away from the greenhouses, which made sense. It wasn't likely that there would be any non-vicious plants in there. The boys followed their professor to his office, where he had a vase full of flowers on his desk. Professor Longbottom told them that his wife had sent him the roses for his birthday but after they explained their predicament with Hugo, he agreed that they needed them much more than he did. They thanked him and, roses in hand, searched the castle for Leann Miller.

"Where the bloody hell _is_ that girl?" cried Scorpius irritably. "God, _women._ They're impossible."

"Impossible or impossible to find?" asked Albus.

"_Both!_"

Albus chuckled at this. When they left Professor Longbottom's office, he had taken the opportunity to check chapter eight when Scorpius took a quick bathroom break:

_8. Appreciate everything she says._

He was having a bit of trouble appreciating Scorpius's rants about the female gender and let his mind wander while the two boys walked and while Scorpius complained. Al was in the middle of a very nice fantasy in which Scorpius told him to screw Hugo and gave him the roses instead, begging him to be his date for the ball by Scorpius (the real one, not the one in his fantasies) elbowing him in the ribs and asking, "Is that her, Al? Over there! Is that Leann?"

Scorpius was pointing across the hall to a very pretty fourth year with nice skin and long blonde hair. Al recognized her from the many times Hugo had pointed her out and nodded immediately. "Yeah. That's her."

Al could tell right away that she was very popular and felt a bit insecure as he and Scorp approached her. He reminded herself that she was only fourteen, but it didn't matter – girls made him nervous no matter how old they were, and not in a good way.

"We need to talk to you," Scorpius said, poking the girl on the shoulder. Al noticed that Scorpius was very awkward around girls as well and this might be the reason for his lack of dating, as well as his confusion about his sexuality.

The girl spotted the flowers and her eyes grew as big as saucers. "They're not for you," Scorpius told her firmly. "Well...sort of. Al, care to explain?"

"Um," he stammered and cleared his throat. "Do you know Hugo Weasley?"

"Sure, I know Hugo. He's so funny. What about him?" the girl asked. Al could tell that despite her popularity, Leann was very nice and this made him relax.

"What would you say if I told you Hugo was going to ask you to the Yule Ball?"

The sound of several girls squealing at once was like nails on a chalkboard. Albus could tell that by his flinching that Scorpius felt the same way. Why must they make that unflattering noise _all_ the time?

"Ooh, really? Hugo is going to ask _me?_" Leann asked, acting like this was the highest of all honors. She was eyeing the roses now.

"No. He's not," Scorpius cut across and her smile fell.

"But – but he just said – " she stammered, gesturing to Al.

"Hugo isn't going to ask you but he _does_ fancy you. If you asked him – " Scorpius shoved the roses into her arms. " – I can guarantee he'll say yes. And give him the flowers."

"Why do I have to give him flowers?" Leann asked, sounding more surprised than snotty.

"Because boys like to get flowers, too. Just do it, okay?" Scorpius said.

"Okay!" chirped Leann and she skipped away from them, obviously on her way to find Hugo. She left behind a posse` of girls who were all eyeing the Potter and the Malfoy with a glint of greed in their eyes and Al was glad when Scorpius made an excuse to leave.

"Whoa, Al. Did you see the way those girls were looking at us? I know we're sexy beasts but they must learn to control their nasty urges," Scorpius teased, his sour mood gone now that they were away from the ladies.

"Well, you're a good-looking guy. Why wouldn't they want to look at you?" Albus asked, his tone a little bitter. Scorpius did not miss this.

"You're good-looking, too. We went over this yesterday at dinner, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember."

Scorpius cocked an eyebrow. "What's wrong, Al?"

He didn't know what it was. Maybe it was how pleased Scorpius seemed to be when he saw the girls staring at him. Maybe it was the fact that everyone was going to the ball with the person of their dreams but him. Maybe it was the fact that a year had gone by and Scorpius still hadn't let his best friend know if he had come to a decision about his sexuality.

"It's – it's nothing. You were right; this year has just been a hassle. I'm tired, is all," Albus said, reaching into his pocket and stroking the leather binding on the book. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Who did you want to go to the ball with?"

"Huh?" Scorpius asked. They had moved from the hallway to the grounds and he had been watching a young couple walk hand-in-hand by the lake.

"Yesterday you said you were waiting for the right person to go to the ball with. Who was it?"

Scorpius's cheeks reddened into what was unmistakably a blush. "I was thinking about asking someone, but…" He paused as he continued to watch the couple by the lake. The boy was helping the girl onto the frozen lake and she shrieked as she nearly fell and he caught her. "I've decided not to."

"Why not?"

Scorpius did not offer a long explanation. He simply shrugged and said, "Out of my league."

The freezing temperature and bitter winds did not seem to be helping either boy's bad mood so they both went back inside for a big dinner and then sat around the fireplace in their common room. Al was curled up in an armchair, the eerie green glow from the lake giving him light to read. _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_ was lying open on the arm of the chair. Al didn't even bother to hide it. Scorpius had been too busy staring into the fire ever since they got back from dinner to notice, anyway. Albus had the table of contents open and staring up at him were chapters nine, ten, eleven and twelve:

_9. Compliment her._

_10. Be spontaneous._

_11. Be honest and sincere._

_12. Always respect her._

Albus wanted to tell Scorpius how utterly handsome he was, how selfless and kind. He wanted to tell him all the things he loved about him, not because the book was telling him to, but because Scorpius had complimented him on his lips and his hands when he was feeling down, and he wanted to return the favor. But he just didn't know what to say.

The fire crackled as it burned lower and lower, until it was just a smoldering chunk of wood. All of the other students had gone to bed and it was just the two boys left in the common room. It was well after midnight when Scorpius looked up from the fireplace and suggested they go to bed. "It's a school night," he said.

"Scorp, it's Christmas vacation, remember? We don't have classes."

"Oh, right."

"Thanks for helping me with Hugo today," Albus said. He reached over and squeezed Scorpius's shoulder. "I don't know what I would do without you."

Al silently congratulated himself on checking chapters nine, ten, and eleven off his list in two sentences. Scorpius was smiling at him in a way that he had never smiled at him before. Albus's hand was still on his shoulder and the blonde boy reached up to touch the rough hand that he had complimented him on more than 24 hours before.

"I love you, Al," he said and then Scorpius was kissing him. Scorpius's lips were the most wonderful thing he had ever tasted in his whole life, and that included his grandmother's cooking. Albus didn't ask for an explanation or even want one; he just clung to Scorpius like his life depended on it while they kissed fiercely. He accidentally knocked the book off the arm of the chair but didn't retrieve it. It wasn't important anymore.

Scorpius leaned back and wrapped his arms around Al's waist, pulling him to his feet. Al gladly would have gone anywhere with Scorpius – outside into the freezing cold, or to hell and back – but he laid the raven-haired boy down in front of the dying embers, and relit the fire with his wand, and then resumed kissing him. Scorpius moved his lips to Al's neck and began to speak in between kisses. "I'm gay…I've known…for a while now…I didn't want to tell you…because…" Scorpius moved his lips to Al's ear and he shivered. "I loved you. I was afraid that if you knew, you would figure it out. I was afraid you wouldn't return my feelings."

"I've never known you to be shy, Scorpius. Don't Malfoy's usually go after what they want and take it?" Al teased.

"What do you think I'm doing?" Scorpius replied with a smirk. He tugged on the collar of Albus's pajama top so he could kiss his chest but Al wanted one more answer out of him before he succumbed to the moment.

"If you were afraid I didn't like you back, then why did you suddenly decide to snog me?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? You've been acting like you fancy me for the past two days by giving me compliments and telling me jokes and paying all kinds of attention to me. You know, Albus Potter, you really are quite the charmer."

And then Scorpius went back to kissing his chest and neck and cheeks and Albus was just lying there silently thanking his dad and Uncle Ron and Uncle George, and _especially_ whoever wrote _Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches_. And he also thanked himself because he had been right – boys and girls weren't so different. Boys like to be complimented and receive flowers and told they look nice just as much as girls do. But most of all, he thanked James and couldn't wait to see his face when he showed up to the Yule Ball arm-in-arm with Scorpius Malfoy.

He glanced over at the small book that had been knocked under the armchair and made a mental note to pick it up in the morning. That book really did work wonders.


End file.
